Former KGB agent Natasha Romanova, known as Black Widow, is one of the greatest spies ever and is one of the best agents S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever had. She's a long-time member of the Avengers and was a founding member and the only leader of the short-lived Los Angeles-based superteam: The Champions.

Should Black Widow Get Her Own Movie?

Since Iron Man, Captain America and Thor have all already received movie treatment, and with production on Joss Whedon's upcoming The Avengers film (due to hit theaters next year) already underway and close to completion, it's no wonder people have started asking what the next big Marvel Studios project will be. If you've been paying attention then you already know that both Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 are slated for a 2013 release and that the Captain America sequel is slated for a 2014 release, but what about the other members of the Avengers team?

Whedon's Avengers movie will bring plenty of faces (both old and new) to the forefront including the Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye -- so is there a chance that we may eventually see one of these characters take center stage in their own movie? In the case of actress Scarlett Johansson who plays Black Widow in both Iron Man and the Avengers, it's not something she is ruling out. In a recent interview Johansson revealed that she really loves the character and wouldn't mind exploring her very "interesting past."

"I love playing the Widow. I think she's got a very interesting past, a lot of storylines to explore, and certainly Kevin (Feige) loves that character...I think that Marvel has a very personal relationship with their fans, and I think if the fans want it, and the audience wants it, nothing's impossible. I would love to explore that option as well. Like I said, I love the character and it would be nice to see something nice and gritty."

Johannson, who plays Black Widow in the film, is referred to as Natalie Rushman in Iron Man 2 where she acted as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who was responsible for infiltrating Stark Industries -- a very different incarnation from the character in the comics. If you've read the Avengers comic books then you know that Black Widow is Natasha Romanova, a former KGB and one of the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s very best agents. If Marvel did decide to make a Black Widow film they would definitely have to explain Widow's heritage and lack of accent, although we think there are plenty of spy stories they can tell whilst leaving the fact that she's supposed to be Russian out of it.

== TEASER ==

This wouldn't be the first time we have seen news of a possible Black Widow film. In fact, last year when asked whether we would see a Black Widow film, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige replied that it would "definitely [be] possible...Yes, absolutely." Not exactly a definitive answer, but most certainly a positive one. In fact, long before Black Widow made her cinematic debut in Iron Man 2, screenwriter David Hayter (WATCHMEN, X-MEN) was slated to have been working on a Black Widow movie around 2005. When asked about the film that never came to be, Hayter indicated his disappointment in his script never fully being realized.

I had a very solid relationship with Marvel, having worked on a number of films with them, and I was looking for something to write and direct. They brought up Black Widow, and I knew the character very well from the comic book. So I spent about a year working on the script, and I was extremely happy with it. Essentially, the story is a young Russian girl’s parents are killed, so she’s given to the KGB to be developed into a super spy...I felt it was very timely and very cool. Unfortunately, as I was coming up on the final draft, a number of female vigilante movies came out. We had Tomb Raider and Kill Bill, which were the ones that worked, but then we had BloodRayne and Ultraviolet and Aeon Flux. Aeon Flux didn’t open well, and three days after it opened, the studio said, “We don’t think it’s time to do this movie.” I accepted their logic in terms of the saturation of the marketplace, but it was pretty painful.

Although we may never get to see Hayter's vision for Black Widow on the big screen, it is something that Marvel considered not too long ago. While it may not have been the "right time" to make a Black Widow movie then, perhaps enough time has passed that they could give the idea a shot.

If anything, Natasha Romanova certainly has a rich character history. Long before she played with the good guys, she was a member of the KGB and one of their top agents. She has successfully completed missions and been responsible for getting things done. As an Avenger, Black Widow has had plenty of interesting stories (as well as romantic interests) over the years. Over the course of her character history she has proven herself as one of the best spies in the Marvel universe, having infiltrated organizations like Freedom's Light and Norman Osborn's Thunderbolts team during Dark Reign. She's been heavily involved in many of Marvel's biggest story arcs like Secret Invasion and Civil War, and has proven that (when written well) Black Widow can be a really interesting character. She is currently a member of the Secret Avengers and has proven that she can definitely kick some major butt, too.

Do you think Black Widow should get her own movie? What is the ideal Black Widow story to you, personally?

I would say yes, mostly because then you could set up Black Widow's spy/assassin stuff that you can't really focus on in the Avengers films. Make her movie more spy oriented and political, like Patriot Games, Mission Impossible 1, and 3rd film that I just forget just now. Darn it. But anyway, her own films can delve into all the espionage stuff, and maybe even set up Scarlett's replacement for when she drops out, like the blond one from the comics or another red head who becomes the New Black Widow agent. Her enemies could be AIM, Hydra, and other Marvel terrorists and her films could tie into the other Marvel movie/Alias TV show universe. This could be the spy/assassin/political/espionage part of the Marvel Movie Universe. This could show the SHIELD, AIM, Hydra, spy stuff.

I think that Black Widow should get her own movie provided that they do her character justice this time around. I didn't like the idea that they left out her Russian heritage in Iron Man 2, so hopefully if she gets her own movie, maybe they will leave her Russian heritage in it.

Geez people are never satisfied I mean seriously yeah of course things are gonna be different when they adapt a comic book to a movie its expected. However i believe most of the time the director tries to find who they actually believe can potray the character well enough or just a certian aspect of the character. In this case they went with Natasha's sexiness over everything else, why because if they only appealed to us comic fans then theyl generally lose alot of money. Why because even though i hate to say t, truth is noone well most movie fans dont care about her past and stuff they just care about how she looks and the sexiness of Scarlet. Really nothing more or less. Take for example the Transformers movies as good as they are and as much as they made was there really a need for Megan Fox and that other girl NO they were there soley because they're pretty faces are something to look at. I mean how many of you can honestly say that fans would go see a movie about two fighting robotic races even if it followed close to the orginal. Trust me it wouldnt be many because most movie goers would either not know or not care about the history. So its really sometimes they get a great actor for the role such as the guy who played Thor and sometimes the get the wrong actor for a character such as Chris Odonell as robin or Arnold Swartznegger as Mr Freeze

Natasha is pretty well set up for a solo film— the spy and superhero genres are both eminently filmable, and mixing the two together is a pretty simple high concept that doesn't require a huge budget and CGI. (Like a Ms. Marvel film would. Hawkeye or Black Widow getting films would pave the way for other lesser-known characters, though, which I'd love to see.)

They'd certainly have to beef up the role from IM2, but that wouldn't be a hard thing to do. I'm going to wait until they give her something to do besides pretend to be a blank secretary before I pronounce Ms. Johansson totally unfit for the role.

Also: as an undercover operative, why would she speak with a Russian accent and mention her Russian background? The "she didn't have an accent!!" complaint is one of the most nonsensical I've continuously encountered. The comics, fyi, have made reference to her efforts to speak without one.

I would say yes, mostly because then you could set up Black Widow's spy/assassin stuff that you can't really focus on in the Avengers films. Make her movie more spy oriented and political, like Patriot Games, Mission Impossible 1, and 3rd film that I just forget just now. Darn it. But anyway, her own films can delve into all the espionage stuff, and maybe even set up Scarlett's replacement for when she drops out, like the blond one from the comics or another red head who becomes the New Black Widow agent. Her enemies could be AIM, Hydra, and other Marvel terrorists and her films could tie into the other Marvel movie/Alias TV show universe. This could be the spy/assassin/political/espionage part of the Marvel Movie Universe. This could show the SHIELD, AIM, Hydra, spy stuff.

I was thinking the exact same thing. An action espionage thriller is one genre Marvel hasn't really delved into. A little plot and a lot of action could go a long way.

I would say no not because you couldn't make a sweet Russian spy movie about it but because I feel Scarlet Johannson makes a half decent support actress in the series but couldn't carry her own superhero movie with out making it feel fake and corny

@jrock85: I don't know, it's not very hard to explain her as an Russian agent that defected and then joined SHIELD/the Avengers. That's her origin, and that concept has been pretty much the same in every incarnation. Whether or not they have her as an the recipient of something like the Infinity Formula isn't really that important, though I think the Captain America guy mentioned possibly using her in a theoretical Winter Soldier project.

The only way I can see a Black Widow movie working is if they started from scratch with a different actress, background and an extremely good storyline. I doubt it would work if they stick with the Iron Man 2 Widow & Scarlett but then again anything is possible this days if done right

I initially thought "No, what could they do?" Then I thought "What could they do? She has a great back story before Iron Man 2 to explore. It would make an awesome movie. If done right, right on par with the Bourne movies. IF DONE RIGHT!! I like the sound of David's script.

Should she? A movie about a clad female spy action star extraordinaire, let's think about it for a minute. Would a worldwide audience, the majority of that audience being one which doesn't read comics, really doesn't know the details of a Black Widow character in them especially and knows who Scarlett is and has followed year for years now on the cover of anything she's on...sell.

Just from a film standpoint. Yes. The elements here translate too well to a film.

As far as the comic reader standpoint, good because it's a comic character, seemingly weak choice. Then again a weak choice namely Blade succeeded to the extent that it dug Marvel out of bankruptcy and launched their movie revival (if one can even take what they had before seriously, sorry marvel this is just true).

Her accent is wrong and some people believe she doesn't fit the comic character. Again, fairly moot and I'm saying this as a comic fan. The majority of movie goers for a world wide film release do not read Black Widow comics so they don't care. Spy action sells big, which means this wouldn't even have a difficult task becoming something that even gets a normal amount of attention.